


Origami Roses

by shrinevandal



Series: Dangan Street [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, F/F, Floriography, M/M, Mild enemies to lovers, Multi, Slow Burn, all tags will update as i go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27195326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shrinevandal/pseuds/shrinevandal
Summary: Hifumi is a simple man. He tends to his garden, sells plants to anyone who stumbles upon his little shop, and writes manga on the side. Simple and safe, yet boring. All he needs is some excitement in his everyday life.Byakuya never really had an interest in anything besides money. Being raised by his greedy parents made him cold to anything emotional. He couldn't even get attached to his own family, lest they kill one another. So feelings are one thing he's determined to avoid. But maybe a certain florist can change that...
Relationships: Fukawa Touko & Yamada Hifumi, Fukawa Touko/Naegi Komaru, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Komaeda Nagito/Naegi Makoto, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Togami Byakuya/Yamada Hifumi
Series: Dangan Street [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985258
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	1. Flowers for Komaru

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELL YEAHHHHHHH DANGAN RONPA DOWNTOWN AU!!!!!!!! okay listen byakufumi doesnt make any fucking sense but i still love them and if youre here i hope i can convince you to love them too. updates will probably be irregular as this is super self indulgent and not very well planned, but!! i have IDEAS and HOO BOY itll be fun!!!! anyway thank you for reading

A little dash of ink there, another one there… This drawing really is coming together, Hifumi thinks. A few more minutes and it'd probably be fully lined. But with his luck, a customer would come in and interrupt him. 

Right on cue, the door jingles. Hifumi looks up from his page. Standing in front of him is a familiar woman with glasses. 

"Hifumi," she says. 

"Touko," Hifumi replies. He sets down the drawing. He can finish it later, his best friend is more important. "Need something?" 

Touko sighs. "What color tulip is the least forward?" 

Hifumi smiles. "White, probably. But any color tulip is pretty forward. Are these for that barista up the street?" 

"...Yes," Touko reluctantly admits. 

"If she hasn't gotten the hint yet, I would recommend red."

Touko shakes her head. "No way! That's too much!" 

"Tulips are an explicit love confession. There's no way to make them not romantic," Hifumi says, rolling his eyes. 

"Fine! I won't get tulips then. How's carnations?"

"Get the tulips. I doubt she googles the meaning of flowers anyway."

Touko sighs again. "Fine. You win." She forks over a five dollar bill. 

"Touko, you know I'm not gonna take your money."

"C'mon, you gotta make a living somehow!"

"It's different though, we're friends. I'm not gonna charge you. Plus it's for true love!" 

"You're too much of a romantic."

Hifumi smirks. "Says the person buying flowers for her girlfriend."

"We aren't girlfriends!"

"Yeah, not yet. But with those tulips you could be."

"You're impossible!" Touko huffs."Fine, I'll get the damn tulips. On one condition." 

"Alright. What's the condition?" 

"You come with me to help deliver them."

Hifumi stares at her. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I am! How am I supposed to give her explicitly romantic flowers without any emotional support?" 

"Fine. But they have to be red tulips."

Touko taps her lip for a moment, weighing her options. "Deal."

* * *

Naegi Coffee is a nice little cafe. Hifumi takes a seat across from Touko at one of the outdoor tables. A young woman, presumably Komaru, is out to greet them shortly after. 

"Hey, Touko-chan!" Komaru says. "Black coffee for you? Oh, who's this?" 

"Hifumi Yamada. Pleasure to meet you," Hifumi says. He sticks out his hand, and Komaru shakes it. 

"Ah! The legendary Hifumi that Touko always talks about! I'm Komaru Naegi." 

"I guess that makes you the legendary Komaru that Touko always talks about."

"Oh, really? That's so sweet!" Komaru exclaims. 

"It's nothing, really…" Touko says. "A-Anyway! Black coffee, yes, and I got flowers!" She pulls the tulips out from behind her back, and Komaru gasps. 

"For me!? You didn't have to! Oh, they're so pretty!" Komaru marvels at the flowers for a few more seconds, then gingerly takes them from Touko. "I'm gonna go put these in water and get your coffee. I'll be right back!" 

Komaru disappears through the door as quickly as she had shown up. 

"Does she know?" Hifumi asks. 

Touko makes a strangled squealing noise in response. 

"I see."

"I wish I could just tell her, but…" Touko sighs. "I mean, I'm pretty sure she's bi, but she's a little clueless."

Hifumi nods. 

Komaru returns shortly, holding an iced black coffee for Touko and a hot chocolate, probably for Hifumi. 

The hot chocolate has a bunny shaped marshmallow in it. It's cute, but Hifumi swears he didn't order this. He opens his mouth to speak, but Komaru waves her hand. "It's on the house! Any friend of Touko-chan's is a friend of mine." She wrinkles her eyebrows. "Oh, unless you don't like hot chocolate. I just guessed…" 

"No, it's fine. Hot chocolate is great," Hifumi assures her. 

"Good! I mean, who doesn't?" Komaru laughs. It sounds bright and sparkly, and Hifumi catches Touko's face flush out of the corner of his eye. "Well, I can't hang out for too long. Makoto-nii needs help. But it was great meeting you, Yamada-san!" 

"Oh, just call me Hifumi."

"Ehh, I tend to call every customer san. Just feels better that way. Except Touko-chan, of course. She's special!" 

Based on the look on Touko's face, she's about to implode from pure lesbianism. 

Hifumi nods. "Alright. Whatever makes you comfortable. Do you mind if I call you Komaru-san, then?" 

"Not at all! Komaru-san works great!" Komaru replies. "Well, bye! See you later!" 

"See you!" Touko manages to choke out. As soon as Komaru is gone, she slams her head down on the table and screeches. 

"You good?" Hifumi asks. 

"She's just so…" Touko sighs and raises her head again. "God."

"She called you special," Hifumi notes. 

"So?" Touko sounds hopeful. 

"Sooo, I think she likes you back."

Touko blushes, and then shakes her head and says, "Don't be ridiculous! Special isn't always a good thing."

Hifumi shrugs. "Maybe. But I think it is in this case."

"A-Anyway, isn't it nice to be out of the shop for once?" 

Hifumi doesn't bat an eye at the sudden change in subject. There's no way he's gonna convince Touko that her feelings are requited, so he lets himself be pulled along by the distraction. "I guess it is, yeah."

They relax for a while, chatting about Touko's latest novel. It's a murder mystery, and Hifumi is glad to be the first one to know about what Touko's plans for it are. Eventually, the conversation reaches a lull as Touko types furiously on her computer. 

"Aha!" Touko beams. "I've got it! The main character ends up being the killer-- However, their memory is erased by the mastermind! They committed the crime and didn't even know it!" 

"Sounds interesting," Hifumi says. "I take it you're at a good stopping spot then?" 

Touko nods. "Yeah. You wanna go back to the shop?" 

Hifumi nods, and the two of them stand up, having already paid for their drinks earlier. 

The walk down the street is pleasant, and Hifumi looks eagerly at all the different places he's never been. There's a tattoo parlor, a mystic shop, and a retail store, among other things. Maybe Touko is right, Hifumi really should get out more. 

When they arrive, there's a man standing outside of Hifumi's shop. He's tall and blonde, and definitely would be someone Hifumi would call a prettyboy. But based on the look on his face, he'd probably beat Hifumi for even thinking that. 

Touko and the man make eye contact, and both of them freeze. The whole atmosphere seems to change. Is it just Hifumi, or did all the birds stop chirping?

The man is the first one to speak. "Ugh. No way. Out of all the people to see out in public, why you?" 

"Touko, who is this?" Hifumi asks, not sure he wants to know the answer. 

"We're exes," Touko mutters. 

"If by exes you mean stalker and victim, then sure, we're exes," the man shoots back. 

"Look, I said I was sorry. And I don't even like guys, I was just-- Stupid, and trying to convince myself I did, and-- Ugh, it doesn't matter. You have every right to hate me. I went too far. Really, I am sorry."

The man stares at Touko before saying, "That was a surprisingly mature apology. I can't say I forgive you, but I'll try to hate you a little less."

"I don't mean to pry, but why are you even here? I assume you didn't come just to yell at my best friend," Hifumi says politely. He's not very good with passive-aggressive, and usually ends up just passive. 

"Apologies for my rudeness. I am Byakuya Togami, heir to the Togami corporation. I am simply here to buy flowers."

"For whom?" Hifumi asks. 

Byakuya shoots him an icy glare. "None of your business," he snaps. 

Hifumi supposes that's perfectly fair. He's in the habit of making small talk with customers, but for someone as important as the Togami heir, he could see how it'd come off as disrespectful. "Alright, well I need to unlock the door."

Byakuya gracefully moves out of the way, stepping closer to Touko in the process. The way he looks at her makes her cower, and Hifumi feels a surge of anger. Who does this man think he is? He knows Touko isn't completely innocent, but that doesn't excuse the way she's made to flinch in Byakuya's presence. 

Hifumi unlocks the door and holds it open for the other two. Touko hastily slips inside the shop, followed by Byakuya. 

The three of them stand in the shop, facing each other. The air is still tense. 

"Does she have to be here?" Byakuya mutters, nodding in Touko's direction. 

"She is my friend, so yes, she absolutely does have to be here," Hifumi says with as much ice as he can manage to put into his tone. Which isn't a lot, bear in mind, but it's enough to make Byakuya scowl. Or maybe he was scowling already. 

"Fine. I just need some stupid flowers."

"I'll take you to the back then. Touko, you wanna stay here?" 

Touko nods, looking down at the ground. Hifumi leads Byakuya toward the back of the shop. 

"What kind of mood are you going for?" Hifumi asks, tone now lighter. 

Byakuya snorts. "Oh, that floriography shit? Ugh. I don't care. Something thankful, I guess."

"Thankful? Then may I suggest hydrangeas?" Hifumi asks. 

"Yeah, whatever. Would a sixty-three year old woman with anger issues like them?" 

"You would know better than I," Hifumi says. The woman in question must be Byakuya's mom, Hifumi guesses. 

"I guess I'll just have to take that chance," Byakuya grumbles. 

Hifumi plucks the hydrangeas off the bush and puts them in a plastic sleeve. "Take good care of these. They like water."

Byakuya nods and pulls out his wallet. He hands over a whole-ass  _ wad of cash. _ And not dollar bills, either. The one on top is a twenty, and Hifumi guesses the rest probably are too. 

"This is… a lot of money," Hifumi says. 

Byakuya rolls his eyes. "Just because I'm giving my mother these stupid flowers doesn't mean I don't want to piss her off again. She hates when I give money to--" He stops. "Common people."

That was definitely not the phrase he was originally going to use, but Hifumi figures he shouldn't pry if Byakuya is at least trying to be polite. He takes the money and hands over the flowers. "Alright. As long as you don't suffer from it, I'm all for pissing off shitty moms."

Byakuya lets out a genuine snort. It sounds like when you see something funny on the internet but aren't committed to fully laughing. 

Touko relaxes as soon as Byakuya steps out of the shop. "God…" she mutters. She looks stressed still, but noticeably less. 

"You okay?" Hifumi asks. 

"Yeah, it's just… Ugh, we were awful to each other. I mean, I know I stalked him, and there's no excuse for that, but…" Touko sighs. "Whatever. It's in the past now. He said he'd try to hate me less, whatever that means."

"Yeah. Hopefully you two can… heal? I don't know exactly what happened, but…"

"I think our relationship is beyond repair, honestly. We were just-- It wasn't a healthy relationship at all."

Hifumi nods. He wishes he could take away Touko's pain and guilt, but she would hate him for it even if it were possible. 

"You can spend the night if you need," Hifumi says. It's not much, but he isn't sure about Touko going home in her current state. 

Touko smiles. "Thanks."

It's not much, but it's all Hifumi can do for now. 


	2. Neon Lines

Hifumi didn't expect Byakuya to show up the next day. First customer, no less. 

"Really? You're still here?" he says pointedly to a sleepy Touko. 

"Yeah? I spent the night…" Touko says with a yawn. 

"I guess you two lovebirds would do something like that, huh?" 

"I told you, I don't like guys!" Touko says, more awake now. 

"Oh? Coulda fooled me."

"I said I was sorry!" 

"You two, please calm down," Hifumi says anxiously. 

Byakuya grins, but Hifumi can't see it as anything but malicious. "It's fine. I'm just teasing her."

"Well… Considering your previous relationship, I don't think teasing is appropriate," Hifumi says, trying to remain calm. 

"Thank you, Hifumi…" Touko mumbles. 

"Heh. Are you always this tense, Yamada-san?" Byakuya continues smiling that evil smile. 

"I don't recall giving you my name," Hifumi says suspiciously.

Byakuya shrugs. "I'm the Togami heir. I'm supposed to know everyone."

"...Fine." Hifumi doesn't want to argue. "Well, are you going to buy flowers, or just--"  _ Or just stand there looking pretty, _ he wants to say. But he doesn't. Byakuya would definitely use that against him even if it was sarcastic. 

Unspoken or not, Byakuya seems to get the memo. "My, my, Yamada-san, are you happy to see me?" 

Hifumi glares at him. "Absolutely not."

"If you say so." 

Hifumi glares some more and then goes back to his drawing. Not the one from yesterday, that was already completed and hung up on the bulletin board. A new drawing of a different anime girl he obsessed over in high school. There were quite a lot of those. 

"So, Mast-- Togami-san, what brings you here?" Touko asks nervously. 

"Oh, not much. It's better than being at home is all."

"I…" Touko gulps. "I know about your family situation. If there's anything I can do to help, please tell me."

"...I'll consider it," Byakuya replies, not quite coldly, but definitely not warmly either. 

Hifumi has no idea what they're talking about, but he can take a guess. Byakuya's the heir of a huge corporation, he has several siblings, and he's stated that he wants to piss off his mom… There must be a lot of pressure. "I, for one, don't know what's going on, but the shop is open if you need it."

Byakuya smirks. "Even when it's closed?"

"Just knock or something. I don't care," Hifumi replies, trying to stay apathetic. But knowing about Byakuya's so-called family situation makes him soften a little. He's probably under huge amounts of stress just by being the chosen heir. And if there's anything more to it, well…. 

Familial abuse isn't something Hifumi's confident about dealing with, but he knows how to be nice to people. And he's pretty good at it, if he may say so himself. He doesn't want to be mean to someone who's struggling, even if they did hurt his best friend. 

"I'm going to go see Komaru," Touko announces before turning and walking out the door. Now it's just Hifumi and Byakuya alone in the shop. 

"You wanna buy anything?" Hifumi asks after a moment of silence. "Y'know, to piss off your mom or whatever."

"Sure," Byakuya says. "I'm always down to rile up that wench." 

Hifumi nods with a smile. He leads Byakuya to the back. "Alright, anything in particular you're looking for?" 

Byakuya shrugs. "I dunno. Something pretty." 

"All flowers are pretty, Byakuya-san-- Can I call you Byakuya-san?"

"I dunno, can you?" 

"I guess not. Should I call you asshole, then?" 

Byakuya snorts like he did the previous day. "You're pretty funny, kid."

"Kid? I bet I'm older than you." Hifumi says. 

"If you're going to call me asshole, I'm going to call you kid."

"The difference is that you're actually an asshole. I'm not actually a kid."

"I guess you'll have to call me Byakuya-san then."

Hifumi smiles. "Oh, I will." He doesn't know exactly what he means by that, but it earns a snort from Byakuya. 

The two of them walk back up front once Byakuya has picked his flowers, a group of pink and red peonies. He pays for the flowers with yet another wad of cash. “Anyone else would go broke if they paid me this much for a ten dollar bouquet,” Hifumi says.

“Well, I’m not anyone else. I’m me,” Byakuya replies. 

Hifumi grins. “That you are.”

Byakuya waves goodbye as he exits the shop. Hifumi waves back. Now that both Touko and Byakuya were gone, maybe Hifumi should draw something...

* * *

Hifumi likes highlighters. He doesn't use them often, but they're always fun colors. He decided to draw with them today as a little treat for himself. So far it resembles a person, but Hifumi doesn't see anyone in particular in the bright lines. 

Suddenly, the door jingles. 

"You'll never guess what happened with Komaru!!" Touko shouts. 

Hifumi raises his eyebrows. "Oh? Tell me," he says. 

"We're going on a date!! She asked about the flowers and stuff-- Apparently she googled the meanings cause her brother thought we were already dating and she was like 'huh really' and--" Touko begins to ramble about how she and Komaru ended up confessing to each other. 

Hifumi simply lets his arm move, not really paying attention to his doodle. He occasionally swaps the highlighter color, but besides that, he just listens to Touko's lesbian rambling. 

"And I just-- I can't believe it! She really likes me back? It's crazy!" Touko finishes. She takes a deep breath. "Sorry for talking so much. I'll get out of your hair now. But I'm really excited! I just had to tell someone right away." 

"I'm really happy for you, Touko. It was about time."

Touko grins. "Yeah it's just-- Wow, it's so--" She takes another breath. "I'm totally writing all this down in my diary! Bye, Hifumi!" 

"See ya!" Hifumi waves goodbye to Touko as she rushes out the door. He's happy for her, and honestly this is the most excited he's seen Touko in a long time. 

Then he looks back down at his drawing to see Byakuya Togami's neon-colored face staring back at him. "Oh, for fuck's sake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will write toukomaru confession scene and put it in the series eventually dont worry :) but for now here's DEVELOPMENT...... for both ships! (edit: [here is](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27297787) the toukomaru confession!)


	3. Trust and Loneliness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy halloween!!! also we finally get byakuya's perspective in the second half here :)

Hifumi has been to the Togami corporation headquarters before. It's a drearily boring place. Why not spice it up a bit?

At least, that's his excuse for bringing Byakuya flowers. 

Hifumi feels uncharacteristically nervous. It's just flowers. Byakuya has already gotten flowers from his shop twice.  _ But this is different,  _ a little voice in the back of his head says.  _ This is a gift. _

"Oh. It's you." Byakuya doesn't sound disappointed, merely surprised. Hifumi takes that as a win. 

"Well, uh, hi, I know we haven't talked a lot, but I just-- I thought the lobby could use a little scenery--" Hifumi stumbles all over his words. "And, um, well, flowers are my forte, so I thought-- I thought maybe you would like some?" He holds the camellias out in front of him. 

Byakuya stares at Hifumi for a really long time. His expression isn't quite angry, but Hifumi feels like he messed up anyway. "...Thank you," Byakuya finally says. He takes the flowers. 

Hifumi lets go of a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "No problem," he replies. "I hope you like them."

And he means it. He initially wrote Byakuya off as the asshole that hurt Touko, but recently he's realized there's more to the rich boy than meets the eye. 

Byakuya gives a small nod and asks, "Will that be all?" 

Hifumi pauses. "Yes," he decides to say. The flowers were what he was here for, right?

"Well… See you."

"Yeah, see ya," Hifumi replies. 

He walks out of the Togami corporation building feeling unsatisfied. It's not like he had anything else to say to Byakuya, but… 

Whatever. He can shake off this weird feeling by drawing some more. 

* * *

Byakuya isn't used to kindness. His whole life he had been pitted against his siblings and controlled by his overbearing mother, so his family was of no support. Not to mention his mother's fondness of corporal punishment. And he was never good at making friends, seeing as he pushed away anyone who got close. For both of their sakes, really. Byakuya's been lonely his whole life. So when Hifumi Yamada comes into the Togami corporation with flowers for him, he doesn't really know how to feel. 

"Thank you," he hears his voice say, but it doesn't feel like it belongs to him. 

"No problem. I hope you like them." Hifumi sounds genuine, but Byakuya has a hard time coping with the fact that anyone would go out of their way to be nice to him. 

"Will that be all?" Hopefully Hifumi doesn't interpret that in a rude way. 

"...Yes," Hifumi says, and Byakuya feels something twinge in his chest. Almost like disappointment. But that would be ridiculous. 

"Well… See you." 

"Yeah, see ya."

And then the conversation is over. Hifumi walks away, out the door, probably back to his shop. And Byakuya is left standing there, dumbfounded. Why would Hifumi be nice to him? Hell, why would anyone be nice to him? He's an asshole, Hifumi even said it himself. 

Byakuya turns and heads upstairs to his room. 

He fills a glass with water and places the flowers in it. They're white blossoms, and they look like roses if roses weren't so rose-like. Byakuya has no idea what they are, though. He would have to ask Hifumi next time he sees him. 

As he places each flower into the glass, he notices a sheet of paper folded neatly between the stems. 

The first thing Byakuya notices when he unfolds the paper is the garish assortment of colors. The second is that the drawing resembles him. 

It's like looking in a mirror. An absolutely neon, eye-bleeding mirror. 

There's writing on the drawing.  _ Hey. Drew you, I guess. Hope you like it. -Hifumi _

Despite the atrocious color scheme, Byakuya does like it. It's the first time anyone's drawn him, and one of the few gifts he's ever received in his lifetime. 

It's stupid, but he wants to trust Hifumi. He wants to believe that he's doing this out of the kindness of his heart and not some greater motive. However, trusting is very hard for Byakuya. 

Before he can ponder on it any longer, the doorbell rings. "Young master?" a voice asks from outside. 

"Come in, Aloysius," Byakuya replies. 

The door opens, and Byakuya's butler enters. "Your mother wants to see you."

"What for?" Byakuya asks. Aloysius just shrugs. "Alright, whatever. I hope she makes it quick."

He follows Aloysius to the elevator. It's playing some kinda smooth jazz, but Byakuya doesn't recognize it. 

When they reach the top floor, Byakuya steps off the elevator, turns down the hall, and enters his mother's office swiftly. 

"Byakuya," his mother says. 

"Mother," he replies.

"Our corporation's twenty year anniversary is coming up."

"And?" 

Byakuya's mom glares but doesn't address the attitude. "And you're going to invite someone to the anniversary party."

"I don't think I will."

"Come on. You can't just rot away in bachelorhood your whole life. Get a girlfriend or something."

Byakuya rolls his eyes. “I’m perfectly fine as i am, mother.”

“Disagreed and dismissed.”

Sighing, Byakuya leaves the room. Who would he even invite to the anniversary party? It's not like he has any friends, unless… 

A familiar round face appears in his mind. "Absolutely not," Byakuya mutters to his subconscious. There's no way he would invite him of all people. 

… 

Right? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all know what's boutta happen....


	4. Cordial Invitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating this in forever i got hyperfixing on tma and just sorta forgot. but we're back now!

Hifumi doesn't even bat an eye when Byakuya bursts into his shop three minutes after opening. He's used to it at this point. What he isn't used to, however, is the candid embarrassment on Byakuya's face. 

"Hey," Byakuya says. 

"Hey," Hifumi replies, but Byakuya has slammed something down on the counter before Hifumi can even finish saying the word. 

It's a little red box adorned with pink quartz the shape of sakura petals. Hifumi looks down at the box, then up back to Byakuya. Is he… blushing? Hifumi didn't know that was possible. 

"What is this?" Hifumi asks. 

Byakuya shrugs. "It's a box. I thought you might like it."

"Mhm," Hifumi replies. "Where did you get it?" 

"That occult shop down the street."

"What's it for?" 

"Storing things, obviously," Byakuya says smugly. 

"No. I mean what's it _for_ , Togami," Hifumi replies. 

The smug expression drops off Byakuya's face. "Simply put… it's a bribe."

"You're trying to bribe me with a box?" Hifumi asks, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry, but I don't commit crimes, no matter how pretty the-- _box_ is." Wow, Hifumi almost fucked up there. 

Unlike usual, Byakuya doesn't catch Hifumi's unspoken words. "It's not a crime! It's just… Appeasing my mother," Byakuya says, flustered. "There's a-- a party, for the company, you know, and she told me to invite someone."

"Oh? I thought you liked going against your mom's wishes."

"Well, this is… different." Byakuya is definitely blushing now. "I… thought maybe… I would enjoy your company."

Hifumi grins. "Wow, Byakuya-san, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were asking me out on a date."

Byakuya somehow grows even more red. "But-- But you do know better, right?" 

"I dunno. Maybe I do, maybe I don't." Hifumi thinks he might be enjoying this a little too much, but it's just so fun to make the normally composed Byakuya squirm in front of him. And he will admit that maybe he finds it a little cute. Maybe, potentially. 

"Are…" Byakuya takes a deep breath. "Are you coming?" 

"Sure. Why not."

"Okay," Byakuya says. He pauses for a moment. "Fukawa-san is invited as well. Tell her to bring a guest if she would like."

That's the first time Byakuya has referred to Touko by name, which must mean he was more comfortable with her. 

"I'll pass the news along," Hifumi says. 

Byakuya nods and turns around. He leaves the shop without looking back

* * *

Hifumi does not own a suit. He's never been to anything that requires it. So that's an issue. He could always put on his sunday best, but that consisted of a simple black skirt and frilly white dress shirt, and he isn't sure how Byakuya's family would react to that. Hifumi has never met Byakuya's mom but he has a sneaking suspicion that she's old, crusty, and cishet. 

He doesn't trust stores to not harass him over his body type if he goes to buy a suit alone, so he should probably ask Touko to come with him. 

Hifumi dials her number, and after just a few seconds, Touko picks up. "Hello?" 

"We got invited to a party," Hifumi says. 

"Huh? What for?" Touko replies. 

"The Togami corporation. I don't know the details, but Byakuya invited me, and you by extension."

"Togami-san did WHAT???" Touko shrieks. 

"He invited us. And you can bring a guest as well. I'm assuming Komaru?" 

"Uhh, I dunno. Probably. Maybe you and Komaru should discuss it."

There's fumbling sounds on the other end, and then, "Hi, Yamada-san!" 

"Hey, Komaru. Did Touko tell you about the party?" 

"A party!?" Komaru almost yells it. "Oh my gosh, that's awesome!"

"Yeah, it's on…" Hifumi frowns. "Wait, he didn't give me any information."

"Aww, maybe it's just a prank…" Komaru says sadly. 

"He seemed pretty genuine, though…" Hifumi doesn't mention Byakuya's obvious flusteredness. "Ah, hold on, there's a little card in the box…" 

"Box?" Komaru asks. 

Hifumi decides he doesn't want to explain the bribe. "It's in two days in the lobby of the Togami corporation building. Starts at seven."

"Oh, I'm off work by then! Makoto-nii takes the late shifts. Touko-chan, are you free then?" There's a pause, and then, "Yeah, we can both go! Oh, but I need a dress, I think."

"What a coincidence! I need a suit."

"Alright, well, let's go shopping!!" Komaru says excitedly. Hifumi can hear Touko groan. "C'mon, babe, shopping is fun!" 

"Fine," Touko says. 

"Yaaay!" Hifumi can almost hear Komaru's grin through the phone. “Alright, there’s a bridal shop about ten minutes away, I think. I’ve never been, but it could be fun! How ‘bout you meet us at the cafe and I can drive everyone over?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Hifumi agrees.

“Bye, Yamada-san! See you at the cafe!”

“See ya,” Hifumi echoes. The line clicks dead in response.

* * *

When Hifumi arrives at Naegi Coffee, Komaru and Touko are already sitting at a table, holding hands and laughing.

Hifumi clears his throat. The girls startle at that, but Komaru grins when she sees it’s a familiar face. “Hi, Yamada-san!” Komaru says.

“You can just call me Hifumi, y’know.”

Komaru nods. “Okay, Hifumi-san! Let’s go!”

That’s probably the best he’s going to get, so Hifumi doesn’t protest.

The car pulls up to Lucky Bridal and Boutique after a few minutes of Komaru and Touko fawning over each other (Mostly Komaru fawning over Touko, and Touko blushing in response while begging her to keep her eyes on the road). Overall, it’s a very wholesome ride, albeit lonely on Hifumi’s part. But he’s happy for his friends. 

“Welcome to Lucky Bridal and Boutique, what can I help you with today?” the man behind the counter chirps. His hair stands up in wild, white curls, some which come down to frame his boyish face. He’s tall and lanky, and Hifumi is reminded a little of-- _No._ He’s not going to think about any pretty blonde rich boys right now, even if technically this whole outing is because of one.

Komaru, being the most social of the three, bounds up to the counter with Touko in tow and grins. “Hey! We’re just looking for some fancy clothes. For a party!”

“Oh, of course! Right this way…” the man steps out from the counter and beckons the three of them toward the back of the shop.

There’s another man back there, this time with short, spikey brown hair. He’s organizing a bunch of white dresses on a rack. The man is not frowning per say, but compared to the smug grin on the white haired man’s face, he might as well be.

“Hey, babe. Customers?” the brown haired man asks without looking up from his rack. His tone is flat, but Hifumi gets the feeling he’s not mad or anything, it’s just his natural voice.

“Yep! They need formal clothes.”

“I’m handling this order right now. Trying to find that dress for that inventor woman. I already found her wife’s suit, but the damn dress is somehow evading me…”

“Oh, of course! I’ll take care of them, then.” The white haired man turns back to the group. “So what are you looking for? I--” his gaze flicks down to Komaru’s name tag. "Wait, Komaru? Oh my gosh, are you Makoto Naegi's sister?" he exclaims.

Komaru looks caught off guard. “I, uh, yeah?”

“Tell your brother I’m his biggest fan!”

“Um, I guess I will but… Who are you? Why are you--”

The white haired man grabs Komaru’s hand and shakes it violently, “Nagito Komaeda, at your service!”

“Nice to meet you, Komaeda-san. But why--”

“He’s just such an inspiration! I admire his work so much. He’s the most wonderful person on the planet. Love of my life--”

“Nagito, babe, I am literally _right here_ \--” the brown haired man interrupts.

“Hajime, shhh-- Love of my life, apple of my eye, angel of my heart--”

“Nagito, I swear--”

Nagito pouts. “Hajimeeeee I love you too of course! But you aren’t the legendary Makoto Naegi, are you?”

Hajime rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t look too angry. Just sorta… annoyed, but in a loving way.

“Hey, okay, can I speak now?” Komaru says harshly.

Nagito looks apologetic. “Sorry for interrupting. Go ahead.”

“What’s all the hype around my brother? Like, why are you obsessed--”

“WHAT,” Nagito shrieks.

“Babe, you’re interrupting her again,” Hajime replies.

“I know-- I’m sorry, I just-- WHAT. You live under the same roof as Makoto Naegi, THE Makoto Naegi, and you don’t even know of his wonderful achievements?”

“I don’t, that’s why I’m asking--”

“He’s the youngest member to be accepted into the Jabberwock Society!”

“The huh?”

Nagito gestures wildly with his hands. “You know, the, the, with the poetry?”

“Oh yeah, I think I remember them announcing this at school,” Touko remarks. “He won a contest with that poem about the two warring cults who committed atrocities in the name of their god. The, uh, Hope Cult and Despair Cult? The theme was something about how even morally evil acts can have good intentions, and vice versa. Honestly, I don’t remember it that well. It was an interesting read, but I was always big on novels rather than poetry. But yeah, he won the contest at school and then made it to the national contest.”

Komaru turns to Touko, looking shocked. “You KNEW?”

Touko shrugged. “Well, yeah. It was big on the news. ‘Our very own Makoto Naegi of Hope’s Peak High has been accepted into the Jabberwock Society!’ sorta thing. I honestly forgot about it til now, though.”

“I-- Oh my god I need to sit down.”

Touko helps her down onto the ground and pats her head. “It’s okay, Sunshine.”

Hifumi does not question the nickname, but he smiles to himself. They’ve been dating for what, two days? And they already have pet names for each other. How sweet. He’s happy that Touko’s happy.

Nagito turns to Hifumi. “Well, sir! What do you need help finding?”

“A suit,” Hifumi replies. “And I hope you have plus sizes, because…” he gestures down at his body.

“Right, right, of course! What kind of bridal would we be if we didn’t offer plus sizes?” Nagito replies. 

“You’d be surprised,” Hifumi replies. 

“Mm. A shame that people are so close minded when it comes to other types of bodies.”

Hifumi nods. He’s never particularly hated his body. Outside of, well, ordinary dysphoria. But that’s been hugely alleviated since top surgery. Being fat does not affect Hifumi’s self confidence. But other people treat him like it should, so he’s very happy that Nagito’s so casual about it.

“Alright. A simple black suit, then? Coattails or nah?”

“Something simple, no coattails please.”

It takes Nagito about ten minutes to settle on a suit for Hifumi. Every time Hifumi would point out that they all look the same, Nagito would get fake offended and gasp at him, then proceed to explain all the subtle differences between each particular shade of black. Finally, he reaches a verdict. 

“This one is a little more grey than black, but I believe it fits within the realm of black suits. Black-adjacent, if you will. The color is dark ash, the manufacturer is--” Nagito rambles about the suit for about a solid minute before catching himself and handing the suit over to Hifumi. “Alright, try it on.”

When Hifumi emerges from the changing room, he feels very fancy. The mirror is dingy, but it shows his reflection well enough, and Hifumi must say Nagito did do a good job picking. Even if every other suit probably would’ve looked the same.

“Oh, you look great!” Touko says. She turns to Komaru. “Sunshine, doesn’t he look good?”

Komaru, who is probably still processing the fact that her brother is a nationally known poet, just sorta nods in a daze.

“Now it’s your turn, dear. I already have a dress at home. It’s simple but it gets the job done.”

Komaru nods and stands up. Nagito leads her over to a section of emerald green dresses. “Y’know, this color would go with your hair quite well,” he’s saying as Komaru follows him deeper into the store.

It’s over twenty minutes before Komaru and Nagito come back. Since the dresses are all different, it must take longer to find one they both agree on. Touko has mentioned Komaru being very headstrong, and while Hifumi hasn’t seen it in action, he feels like she was probably back there debating Nagito on the pros and cons of each little detail of the dresses.

Finally, the two of them show up again. Touko’s jaw drops when she sees Komaru.

The dress is lime green, bordering chartreuse but definitely more tasteful and a little more green than yellow. The top is smooth and the skirt goes down in ruffles, creating several even tiers. It’s poofy at the bottom, and Hifumi spots a white petticoat underneath it.

Komaru is blushing hard. “...Well?” she asks nervously

“You look good,” Hifumi supplies, because Touko is currently malfunctioning due to gay panic.

“Stunning!” Touko says suddenly. “Gorgeous! Wonderful! Immaculate! Breathtaking! Captivating! Phenom--”

“We get it, you have a big vocabulary,” Hifumi teases.

Touko shoots him a glare. “Listen. Let me appreciate my girlfriend in peace, you absolute witless fiend.”

HIfumi grins back at her smugly. Touko turns back to Komaru. “You look amazing, Sunshine. I love it.”

“I love it too,” Komaru says with a blush. There’s a lull in the conversation as the two stare sweetly at each other.

Nagito speaks up. “Okay, that’s sixty dollars for the suit, and ninety for the dress.”

“Ninety dollars--” Komaru panics. 

“Do you need to sit down again?” Touko offers.

“No, it’s-- I’m sorry, I can’t afford--”

“I’ll pay for it,” Hifumi offers.

Komaru balks even harder. “No, I couldn’t possibly make you pay--”

“Komaru, really, it’s fine. I’ve… recently acquired more money than usual.” Hifumi decides to not mention Byakuya’s habits of significantly overpaying him.

“That’s suspicious,” Touko notes.

“It’s not,” Hifumi replies, trying to keep his tone casual.

“It absolutely is. Where did you get--” A look of realization flashes across Touko’s face. “Is Togami-san your _fucking sugar daddy_??” she shouts.

“Touko-chan, please don’t swear in public!” Komaru protests.

“It’s okay, Hajime swears all the time in front of customers,” Nagito says.

“Hold on, Togami-san? Like, as in the Togami corporation?” Hajime asks.

“Um,” Hifumi says.

Hajime’s eyes widen. “You’re dating _Byakuya Togami_??”

“We are not dating!” Hifumi replies defensively.

“He literally gives you money!” Touko says.

“Listen, okay, he just gives me a lot of money because it pisses off his mom. Just because I gave him flowers doesn’t mean we’re dating. There’s nothing else to it, we are not--”

“ _Hifumi_ ,” Touko says sharply.

“What?”

“You’re an idiot. He invited you to their goddamn fancy rich people party. He gives you free money for no reason. You… you gave him flowers?? And he accepted? _He likes you_.”

Hifumi thinks back on this morning. The box, Byakuya’s flushed face, the candid manner which he presented himself-- _fuck_. Touko’s right.

Touko looks at his expression with satisfaction. “I knew it. Do you like him?”

“I don’t have to answer that question,” Hifumi replies. Not because he likes Byakuya and doesn’t want Touko to know-- He has no idea how he feels, really. Hell, he met the guy like a week ago--

“ _You are so fucking stupid_ ,” Touko retorts.

“I had to watch you and Komaru flirt around each other for months, you don’t get to talk--”

“That’s different!”

“Is it?”

The two of them glare at each other in a silent standoff. Hajime pretends to be busy with the dresses, and Nagito is twirling his hair. Komaru looks back and forth between Touko and Hifumi, trying to figure out if this was normal friendship teasing or an actual fight.

“Listen, guys…” she says. “Um, everything worked out fine between Touko and I, so, uh, I think it’ll work out with Hifumi-san and Togami-san. Not that I’m saying they like each other! Just, y’know, on the off chance they do, I think everything will be okay. Just let them work it out, Touko, please.”

Touko stays silent for a second, then sighs. “Okay. Fine. _Fine._ But for the record, I still think Hifumi is being dumb.”

Hifumi grins. “That’s fair. I can be dumb sometimes.”

Komaru breathes a deep sigh of relief, having resolved the situation. “Okay. Let’s buy our, uh…” She looks at Hifumi. “Are you still offering to pay? We can split the cost, there’s no way I’ll let you pay for all of it.”

“Yeah. Forty five, forty five, or…?”

“Sounds good.”

The three of them bid goodbye to Nagito and Hajime and go out to Komaru’s car. The ride back is quiet, but not awkwardly so. Hifumi’s fine with it. He has a lot to think about, really.

Byakuya’s blushing face, his moment of transparency, the sakura patterned box that was waiting on the counter at Hifumi’s shop. The fact that he maybe, probably, definitely likes-- Hifumi pushes the thought away.

A lot to think about, and all of it to ignore.


End file.
